Life Sciences venture capital firm Sofinnova Partners has appointed Maina Bhaman as Partner.
Bhaman comes to Sofinnova Partners with a long track record as a successful healthcare investor. Prior to joining, she was Director of Healthcare Investment at Touchstone Innovations (formerly Imperial Innovations) in London (UK) since 2006. She has led or co-led numerous investments and sat on the Board of a number of UK biotech companies, such as Autifony, Cellmedica, Psioxus Therapeutics, Pulmocide, Topivert Pharma, Puridify (sold to GE), Thiakis (sold to Wyeth) and Respivert (sold to J&J).
Previously, Bhaman worked in the R&D teams of several UK and US biotech companies, including Celltech, Oxford Glyco Sciences, Chimeric Therapies and GeneMedicine. Maina has a BSc from the University of Texas at Austin (United States) and an MBA from the Imperial Business School in London (United Kingdom).
As a long standing member of the biotech ecosystem, Maina has received strong professional and institutional recognition; and was named one of UK’s Top women in Biopharma several years in a row. With Maina Bhaman’s arrival, Sofinnova Partners continues to build a truly international team with a unique diversity.
Bhaman says: “I am thrilled to join such an experienced team as Sofinnova Partners. We have worked together on a number of co-investments, and clearly share a common approach and vision. I am looking forward to continue to pursue my passion of backing entrepreneurs developing paradigm-shifting technologies that may significantly improve patients’ life”.
Antoine Papiernik, Managing Partner and Chairman of Sofinnova Partners, says: “We are extremely happy to welcome Maina as a Partner in our team. Her expertise and track record are a perfect match with our team and strategy. This recruitment also furthers our international reach and will positively contribute to Sofinnova Partners’ growth”.
